Live Nation isn’t just an entertainment company. It’s an empire. With dozens of subsidiaries.
These include C3 Presents, House of Blues, and Roc Nation. Live Nation has a firm chokehold on the current entertainment industry. Since the 2009 merge with Ticketmaster, Live Nation grown to operate its own concert venues and manage the careers of several hit musicians. As their stock only continues to rise every day, it’s hard to imagine such a successful company can have a body count of over 200 to its name.
Failing to protect the fans
Houston Chronicle reports that Live Nation has had an exorbitant amount of deaths at their venues in the past 15 years. Approximately 750 people got injuries, while 200 died at their live events since 2006. With the passing of LA rapper Drakeo, The Ruler, at the Once Upon a Time festival last month (Dec.19), another Live Nation event has ended in tragedy.
In 2017, a 23-year-old man got pushed off a balcony at a Travis Scott concert. As a result, the man ended up in a wheelchair. He just recently regained some mobility in his left side. According to the victim Kyle Green, the security guards at the venue did not place him on a backboard or use a neck brace. The fall left Green with “fractured vertebrae, a broken left wrist, and fractured right ankle.” Stunningly, video footage from that same night shows Travis Scott egging on a fan to jump off the balcony. “I see you, but are you gonna do it?” The ‘SICKO MODE’ rapper yelled. “They gon catch you, don’t be scared.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZEYQ8ifk0o&feature=youtu.be
In particular, Live Nation’s rap concerts seem to be a hub for injury. A 2016 (Aug.6) Snoop Dogg concert in Camden, New Jersey, was interrupted when one of the railings at the BB&T Pavilion snapped. This sent upwards of 50 fans tumbling to the concrete walkway below. 42 people got injuries in the fall. Luckily, there were no fatalities.
The Concert That Changed Everything For Live Nation
Arguably the most famous incident involving Live Nation is the deadly Travis Scott concert last year (Nov.5). 50,000 fans gathered that night at the Astroworld Festival in Houston, Texas, to have fun and “mosh.” “Moshing” is a common concert practice where patrons violently dance to the music and intentionally ram into each other. A typical carefree party trick turned tragic when concertgoers rushed the stage en masse. Fans thought they were having the time of their lives, but ended up suffocating in the chaos. As a result of the stampede, 10 people died, and over 300 got injuries. According to a Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences report, all 10 victims died of compression asphyxia.
“It was like hell,” one concertgoer told the New York Times. “Everybody was just in the back, trying to rush to the front.”
“Packin’ out Toyota like I’m in the league…And it ain’t a mosh pit if ain’t no injuries…I got ’em stage divin’ out of nosebleeds.”
-Lyrics from ‘STARGAZING’ by Travis Scott
Low Standards For Live Nation’s Employees
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, also known as OSHA, has fined Live Nation multiple times for safety violations. In 2018 (Sep.27), an employee was struck on the head by a 6-foot steel pole and was subsequently hospitalized.
In a 2012 incident (Jun.6), a man working as a rigger at Gibson Amphitheater fell through a “false ceiling” above the stage. Unfortunately, the man died at the Cedar Sinai Hospital. Disturbingly, the employee was not provided any safety belt or padding below during the roof maintenance.
In 2008 (Jul.23), another employee suffered a fatal accident involving a forklift. A forklift driver working for Live Nation at the Oak Mountain Amphitheater came into contact with steel beams and flipped over. The employee passed away as a result.
Where do they stand?
Live Nation, Travis Scott, and guest star Drake now face a $750 million lawsuit. Combine this with the $20 million lawsuits filed by Drakeo the Ruler’s family, and it’s increasingly clear the entertainment company is being forced to face the music. A large amount of investigation and litigation remains before concluding any of those cases. Hopefully, this encourages the massive corporation to take a step back and reconsider what’s most important: the public’s safety.
RELATED STORIES:
Travis Scott Does First Interview Since Astroworld Tragedy
Travis Scott Reels Under Another Lawsuit For $10 Billion
Follow FMHipHop on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook!
Dreema Carrington|IG @dr3amgirl79|Twitter @notdreema
